The city lights flickered outside Lu Fan's window, but inside, a new light burned quietly—one born from within.
Since the moment the pendant stirred his veins, Lu Fan felt the world differently. Not brighter or sharper like a sudden superpower, but as if a hidden current of energy flowed beneath everything, waiting to be touched.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, focusing on his breathing. The symbols that had flickered on his skin still faintly glowed beneath his sleeve.
He remembered the strange warmth of the pendant, the pulsing sensation like a heartbeat syncing with his own.
What am I supposed to do now?
Without a teacher, no guide, Lu Fan was left with his own instincts and determination. He began experimenting—closing his eyes, trying to feel the air, the floor beneath him, the pulse of his own blood.
Slowly, he sensed a faint vibration, a thread of energy running through his body. It wasn't magic, not like in the stories. It was something... more real, more fundamental.
He recalled the words whispered by the stranger the day he received the pendant: "Your veins still sing."
He understood now—inside him was a dormant power, a path he had to forge on his own.